Flow and Intention: In Conversation with Josh Manandhar

Interviewed by Zuhaa Asrar & Anshu Shah

Profile written by Zuhaa Asrar | April 2024

Amidst the green of the quad across Wilson Library, tucked away from the chaos of student life, we had the opportunity to sit down with Josh Manandhar, a current UNC junior studying Statistics and Data Science and the face behind Instagram art account @averageasian_artist. Manandhar’s artwork, spanning both print and digital mediums, has been celebrated within and beyond the university’s walls, with features from the minority-founded art collective Earthtones, Monsoon, Chapel Hill’s Schoolkids Records, and the Community Justice, Abolition and Antiracism (CJAA) wing of the University’s Campus Y.

Manandhar grew up in the heart of the U.S., in Nebraska, to a Nepali mother and father. Four years later, his family relocated to North Carolina, where he has lived ever since. It wasn't until his later years, however, that he began to explore his Nepali heritage through art. Reflecting on those initial explorations, Manandhar describes his early relationship with art as somewhat intermittent.

"It was an on-and-off thing for me," Manandhar recalls, his words accompanied by the faint hum of yesteryear. “But this year, I’m becoming more intentional with my art.”

His first few pieces were inspired by reference images on Pinterest, a piecing together of elements and inspiration across different works that resonated with him. Yet, he often found himself frustrated by the limitations of this approach, as he could never quite capture the artistic vision he wished to portray from references alone.

It was this frustration, however, that sparked a transformation in his perspectives on art.

"I decided to take a more free-flowing approach," Manandhar explains. "Setting goals and exploring themes without the constraint of realism."

In doing so, he has slowly steered away from references entirely, allowing free-form line drawings to guide his process. This shift marked the beginning of his path towards developing an individual style, one in which art became a work of intention, of flow. While elements of Nepali culture had always managed to seep into his work, they began to take center stage in his more recent creations.

“At this point in my life, I am naturally more inquisitive and appreciative of my culture," Manandhar shares. “I’m finding a balance between referencing [traditional art] and my own identity.”

Intentionality — the act of dedicating oneself to forming an idea and executing it — is what allows Manandhar to strike a balance between being inspired by his Nepali background and keeping true to his own artistic style.

In developing his own style, Manandhar embraces the element of randomness as a driving force. When sketching, Manandhar allows his creativity to expand beyond the bounds of realism. This abandonment of perfectionism and structure fosters the perfect environment for his individual style, one of contrast and expressive characters and culture, to materialize.

When asked whether his work was representative of himself, Manandhar shared how his art is moreso an extension of himself: “It’s definitely representative of the way I think, and the things I appreciate. I want my art to be like, somebody can look at it and be like, hey, this is something that reminds me of beauty in a way.”

Manandhar’s art, characterized by its fluid lines and bold contrasts, draws inspiration from both culture and faith. Raised in a traditional Hindu household, it was only recently during a study-abroad trip to Korea that Josh found himself exploring other faiths, especially Buddhism. Amidst Korea’s many cultural and religious pockets, Manandhar was awestruck by the country’s beautiful, sprawling Buddhist temples. These temples edified a gravity in spirituality , which worked to reignite Manandhar’s own exploration of Nepali culture. Against the black-and-white foreground of his work, these cultural influences emerge. One piece depicts echoes of historic Nepalese Newar architecture, an indigenous style from the Kathmandu valley, to which Manandhar, a Newari himself, belongs. Another piece features figures loosely inspired by Tibetan Buddhist thangka paintings, works revered for their artistic beauty and role in religious ceremonies and festivals. For Manandhar, striking this balance between cultural homage and personal expression is paramount to avoid treading the line of disrespect. He believes in honoring the traditions of his Nepali background while also infusing his own artistic flair, creating opportunities for him to not only celebrate his roots, but also expand his capacity for expression.

Beneath most of his pieces are small captions, witty self-written adages that mirror the energy of the piece and channel it into a few complementary words. When asked about the process of ideating these adages, it became clear that there is a reciprocity between the written and the illustrated work. Manandhar either begins with a few phrases, after which he creates an inspired work, or he creates a work and then writes a few lines inspired by the illustration.

“One always inspires the other,” Manandhar reflects. “The more loose you are with it, the better.”

As he works, Manandhar enjoys listening to Nepali folk tunes from artists like Shila Bahadur Moktan, Kunti Moktan and Raju Iama, particularly tamang selo (a Nepali folk genre) songs. In conversation about mediums, Manandhar expressed his love for all things digital. While paper provided more precision and tangibility that aids with line work, it is that very precision that he tries to avoid in his initial drafts of a piece. Digital, he explained, affords more flow, more movement, and, of course, more practicality. Flow, alongside intentionality and reciprocity, exists at the core of his artistic philosophy.

Looking ahead, Manandhar is eager to continue exploring themes of cultural identity and spirituality in his artwork.

When asked about advice for other South Asian artists who wish to start creating, Manandhar said, “Creating exactly what you think of is never going to work out, so don’t be frustrated if you have an idea in your head and it doesn’t come out exactly the way you want it to. Pieces just naturally come intentionally, and you have to be loose with it and just draw before something comes to fruition.”

Recently, during UNC CJAA’s Sudan Week (February 26 to March 2), a week-long student-action series to raise awareness and donations for the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Sudan, Manandhar offered some of his drawings for an art sale. CJAA’s Sudan Culture and Arts Night featured performances, henna, a fashion show and sold art pieces made by local artists. The event raised $2,616 for the Sudanese American Physicians Association and other charitable community causes.

“Generally, my art is not for profit, but why not raise money for something like this,” said Manandhar when asked about his contributions to the CJAA art sale. “I don’t want the money … A lot of other people could use that better than I could.”

Manandhar’s art is not just a form of expression; it's a journey of self-discovery and cultural appreciation. In a world filled with noise and chaos, Manandhar’s art serves as a beacon of introspection and inspiration, inviting us to explore our own identities and celebrate the rich tapestry of human experience.

You can find more of Manandhar’s work on his Instagram account, @averageasian_artist, where his art prints and first anthology, Compilations I, are also available for purchase.